Yesterday was my first training session since the XPC Finals. I've had a couple of very light feeder workouts over the last week, but this was my first time actually touching a barbell.
Just to keep things simple, I decided on some sets of 5 on a raw squat.
I worked "up" to a set of 5 with 385, and it might as well have been 700, lol. This shit felt WAY heavier than it should have, but it was a start, I guess. I could have done more, but since it was my first day back, I didm't want to be totally crippled today (which I am anyway).
Finished with reverse hypers, incline setups and dumbbell side bends.
I'll be doing most of my training raw for now for a couple of reasons.
First, I did a ton of gear work to get ready for the meet, and I know my raw strength paid a price. I need to get this up over the next few months so that when I start up with the gear again, it'll be with a stronger foundation than I have right now. Most lifters who've never lifted in gear often wonder why we don't ALWAYS try to increase raw strength. The reason is that your body can only recover from so much at one time, and geared training is more taxing. To be good in your gear, you need to prioritize it, and let some of the other stuff remain in a holding pattern.
The second reason for the raw work is that I am going to be losing some weight over the next few months and I'll need more raw stuff to maintain muscle mass. While I'm not a big guy by powerlifting standards, walking around at 210 pounds at 5'5" with asthma and sleep apnea is getting old. I feel much better under 200, and with no meet in sight, it's time to lean out.
Also, sick today, so I'll probably much my next bench workout from Monday to Wednesday or Thursday.